


12 in the afternoon

by bunbohue



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Character Death, M/M, Post-Graduation, Time Loop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:40:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26903035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunbohue/pseuds/bunbohue
Summary: As the clock turns, Kaoru ends up finding himself in an endless loop.Based off of Kagerou Project's Kagerou Daze.
Relationships: Hakaze Kaoru/Morisawa Chiaki
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	12 in the afternoon

It is the summer time.

At this time, Kaoru can barely open his eyes. His dark hues face the wall while he attempts to locate his phone. The sun annoyingly peeps through his frames, and it provides an indication that it is the afternoon.

He finally finds his phone and slowly glances at his screen. It is 12 in the afternoon.

The time flicks to another minute, and he immediately remembers — Chiaki invited him to hang out for the day. However, both of them have freedom now. There are no more days of sweat, tears, and blood. The routine of waking up at dawn to attend Yumenosaki Academy no longer exists. 

During graduation, he was happy at that fact — but now, he missed it.

Kaoru emits a loud groan while he sits up from his bed. As an instinct, he closes the blinds tightly to avoid any further sunlight. His blonde hair is a mess, and drool stains around his mouth is acknowledged. God, he feels gross.

He proceeds to the bathroom in his hall. It appears like nobody is home. The faucet runs slowly, and he fixes himself up as he usually would. With fresh minty teeth, brushed locks, and applied skincare, he should feel like a brand new person. Yet, he doesn’t.

He walks to his bedroom to continue his routine. He puts on a white shirt with ripped jeans, pairing it with a nice pair of three-month old shoes. It isn’t anything new. 

Even after his graduation, nothing has changed.

—

The two decide to meet at a cafe. The business sat on a lonely street, with a couple of people traveling here and there. Chiaki doesn’t exactly like it; he enjoys the busy streets and talkative crowds, but Kaoru didn’t. With Chiaki’s furrowed eyebrows as he suggests another, Kaoru couldn’t resist a laugh.

The brunette eventually gives in, but it isn’t because Kaoru’s argument was convincing. Chiaki simply wants to see Kaoru happy — the sun only makes Kaoru’s smile brighter.

Sunlight continues to beam down, initiating a small sweat from the both of them while they wait outside of the cafe. A few cars passed by the small street. Small laughter comes by and goes. It is basically the two of them.

Kaoru feels satisfied. It is something different from his regular schedule. He didn’t have to make breakfast for his roommates. Well, he doesn’t mind, but it does get tiring at times. His roommates had errands to attend to. Kaoru didn’t have much in his hands.

He did all of the chores at the apartment: washing dishes, folding laundry, cleaning bookshelves, and so forth. It is a loop that never ends.

Today, he is free from that endless chain — the unending road of doing the same thing over and over takes a temporary halt. He knows that he’ll return to his schedule again.

As Chiaki beams outside of his window with passerbys, Kaoru walks inside the cafe to receive their orders. Iced coffee in one hand and iced chocolate in another, they ordered something completely different. He knows that Chiaki was never fond of coffee or tea, but he finds it endearing that he still kept with this preference.

He finally delivers the drink to Chiaki who immediately returns his gratitude with a hug. Kaoru releases a small grunt from the sudden embrace and scolds Chiaki for being careless with his drink. Kaoru’s concern causes Chiaki to laugh, and Kaoru becomes flustered, completely retracting himself from Chiaki’s tight embrace.

“Moricchi, you should be careful. What would happen if you’re this careless again?”

“Jeez, Hakaze! I’ll be fine! Don’t worry!”

Kaoru never does. He knows Chiaki too well.

—

The crowds slowly fill the streets that the two settled on, completing with chatter and laughter. Kaoru can only recognize the sun as he travels through the layers of people: one from the sky and one right next to him.

Kaoru hears a loud honk on his side, but he ignores it. Though, Chiaki doesn’t seem to share the same perspective. His head immediately turns towards the source, and his eyes widen at the scene.

“Hm? What’s the matter, Moricchi—” and he is cut off from Chiaki’s sudden shove. “—Huh?!”

The blonde only remembers the loud screech of a truck and a shattering scream of a woman. His vision immediately directs to the commotion.

Red, was it? Splattered all over the floor. He is still trying to comprehend. Suddenly, his body is shaking. It isn’t from fear or anxiety. He knows now.

In the middle of the road, a body seeps of red — Kaoru moves closer and closer until he recognizes the body. Chiaki?

Chiaki. Chiaki. _Chiaki_.

It can’t be.

This isn’t what he wanted.

—

Kaoru’s eyes shot open. He is back in his bedroom again. Sweat crawls down his forehead as he frantically sits up.

Was it a dream? It can’t be. It felt so real.

His hands search for his phone, lifting and shoving his blanket onto the floor to locate the device. He finally recovers it and opens it to find the time. It is 12 in the afternoon.

Everything feels the same. Kaoru doesn’t like it. He doesn’t like how everything is back to normal. There is no way that it was a dream.

He instantly calls Chiaki, and after a few rings, Chiaki picks up his phone with his loud voice.

“Hakaze! What’s up? Are we still meeting later? I’m actually going to—”

“You’re alive?”

“What are you saying? Of course, I am? I’m confused here.”

His throat is dry. He must be crazy.

“N-nothing. Yeah, we’re still meeting tomorrow. You know… how about we go to the city?”

“The city?”

“Yeah!”

“That’s so weird, Hakaze. You usually never—”

“Please.”

“You sound so scared… Are you okay?”

“No— Please, let’s just go. Okay?”

“Okay, okay! No worries!”

His thumb presses on the screen to end the call, and a sigh of relief releases from his shivering lips. It is definitely a dream.

—

The city is even busier than Kaoru remembered. He never liked how noisy it was, with the constant honking and pushing from people. It is sort of miserable actually.

Chiaki doesn’t appear bothered by the racket. In fact, he is still flashing his smile as he pulls Kaoru around. Hand in hand, nothing to bother them as they walk down the jabbering streets. Even though there are plenty of people, Kaoru can only imagine the two of them.

Nothing is in their way, and Kaoru loves it.

The brunette points towards the window of a toy store, and he proceeds to go on and on about his figurine collection. The middle displays a hero action figure, and surrounding it are flashing words of “Limited Edition”.

“Hakaze, you have to understand! I want this so bad!”

“Isn’t it quite expensive for a figurine?”

Chiaki shakes his head repeatedly and refuses defeat from a price tag. Kaoru couldn’t help but laugh. The brunette backs away from the display after a while, and so does Kaoru. However, there is a loud clatter from above. Kaoru glances up to find the noise but it is already too late.

His eyes collect visions of red, and the color smears all over the concrete. He forgets how to breathe. Long poles pierce through the brunette’s body; blood spilling all over and painting the weapon. 

There is no possible way that Chiaki is alive.

Kaoru didn’t want to move. This has to be a nightmare. Please wake up. Please. _Please._

A deafening scream breaks through his lips. “Chiaki—”

—

Kaoru wakes up again. Just like last time, he is back on his bed. Oxygen enters through his system as he trains himself to breathe once more. Sweat continues to slip down his temple.

No, this isn’t a dream. This can’t be a dream. He refuses. It can’t be a dream. It can’t be. He can’t simply wake up previously and find himself in his own bed again.

It feels too real, and he knows the difference between fiction and reality. Perhaps, it could be something that his imagination made up to mess up with his head.

The image flashes again. Blood, he can only imagine it. Blood is all he sees — blood coming from Chiaki Morisawa — the man who shines bright in life. His eyes were lifeless, not a single light came through as he lied in a pool of red fluid.

Kaoru can only remember that. It feels too real to easily forget.

He goes back to finding his phone and flips through his blanket once more in panic. His fingers finally wrap around the device, and the time appears as 12 in the afternoon. It is the same time.

_Is he in a loop?_

It doesn’t make sense, doesn’t it? Time loops are imaginary things; they are something that you would find in movies. Of course, anyone who hears this would only laugh. Though, Kaoru knows that his head isn’t playing mind games.

He has to be in a time loop.

Kaoru runs his hand all over his sheets to find his phone once again, and he immediately dials Chiaki’s number.

“Hakaze! What’s up? Are we still meeting later? I’m actually going to—”

Wait, this feels like deja vu.

“Moricchi! Where are you planning to go together?”

“Oh? Didn’t we decide on going to the cafe together? I really want iced chocolate!”

Iced chocolate? Cafe? Is this going back to the beginning?

“Ah… let’s not go to the cafe, yeah? How about we…go to the beach?”

“The beach? Hakaze, that’s a great idea! I know how much you love the beach.”

“Hehe… I know you do.”

Nothing can go wrong, right? Kaoru knows the beach well. He’s been there more than anyone else has. Every inch and centimeter, he remembers all of it, and he is quite proud of it.

There is no way that something could happen, but he is suddenly scared. His throat feels like it’ll flare up. His hands are shaking.

He doesn’t want to see the stains of Chiaki — coloring that he will never forget.

Of course, he doesn’t want to see that of anyone, but Chiaki, he is someone who he will risk anything for. The man who pushes away his clouds, the man who is the umbrella — he would run through the rain for Kaoru.

He couldn’t handle seeing another from Chiaki.

The beach is somewhere Kaoru feels more comfortable at, and it is the last thing that he wants to see tainted. At least, that is what he hopes.

—

Kaoru arrives at the location, greeted by the squawking seagulls and burning sunlight. He could see Chiaki in the distance who is currently kicking around in the sand. 

A sigh leaves Kaoru’s quivering lips. He is nervous, but the smell of the sea calms him a bit, and seeing Chiaki is the most important thing to him. The brunette is still moving and breathing. His autumn-colored hues still shine under the summer sunlight, with a mouth full of laughter and chatter.

The world wouldn’t be the same without him.

“Oi, Hakaze! What’s taking you so long?”

Kaoru snaps out of his daze, and his hand scratches his nape.

“Ah… Moricchi, sorry! I got distracted.”

The two take a stroll around the lines of the beach, and Chiaki makes sure to get a snow cone for the both of them. As the snow cone rapidly melts, Chiaki attempts to catch the melted syrup, and Kaoru gives an embarrassed smile at him. 

They finally reach the cliffs of the ocean: waves crash angrily underneath as the sea sparkles under the light. A refreshing breeze continues to dance along with their colored locks, and Kaoru takes a look at Chiaki. His eyes are calmer while he stares out at the ocean, still holding onto the syrup-stained paper cone in his right hand.

There is something in Kaoru’s gut that tells him to hold onto the other, in which he grabs Chiaki’s wrist tightly in fright. Chiaki’s vision switches on him, quite surprised at Kaoru’s action.

“Hakaze? Is something the matter?”

“I… uh… I just want you to be more careful! There aren’t any railings here, so someone might fall.”

“Ah! You’re right! You know this place too well.”

Chiaki’s laugh echoes throughout the scene, and Kaoru blushes lightly. How could someone look so charming while laughing?

As an instinct, Chiaki pulls his hand away from Kaoru’s grasp, but his hand comes back to intertwine again.

“I think holding hands is the better option! Don’t you think, Hakaze?”

Yeah, it was.

Kaoru is quickly flustered from Chiaki’s actions, but he nods his head and turns away. Kaoru’s honesty earns another laugh from Chiaki who eventually nudges his side.

It is a beautiful sight, isn’t it?

The last time Kaoru visited the beach was a month ago. Though, it was a lonely trip under the moonlight. A full moon with visible stars that decorated the lonely sky, Kaoru sat at the same exact spot.

The waves were angrier and the nightlife was vicious, but Kaoru didn’t mind the scene. It was lonely however; his visit wasn’t with a beam of light nor was it filled with endless conversations.

Instead, it was him against his mind. It went on and on about how boring and tiring his life was, reaching a routine that never seemed to stop. Meanwhile, his classmates are thriving with their own activities. His ex-bandmates were all smiling as Kaoru stepped on an empty path.

Now, he is able to stand next to Chiaki. He is someone who can lift his spirits, someone who can fulfill his days with new possibilities, and someone who can give him an honest future.

For once, he is happy with himself, and he is able to cherish it with someone important.

“Hakaze. Are you happy?”

What?

“Hm, you can say so. Why?”

“You know, Hakaze... I asked this myself every day and I never knew the answer, but I think I finally found something that can be my happiness.”

He’s confused.

“Moricchi? This is so unlike you! But how? Happiness, you say?”

“Yeah, happiness. It is weird, right? I don’t really like talking about it with anyone, but… yeah, I did.”

“Then what is it?”

“Being able to save you from this world is my happiness, Hakaze.”

Huh?

“Moricchi… you’re acting weird.”

Kaoru is stunned, and the emotion of bewilderment arrives. What is he talking about? Saving him? From what? Chiaki’s hand suddenly tightens, and he eventually lets go. He walks towards the edge and gazes down.

“I need to do this to save you. I want to get out of here too, Hakaze. You and me. _Together_!”

Chiaki’s laugh is cold, and Kaoru shivers. His hand reaches out to grab onto Chiaki again, but it only slips. He loses Chiaki.

“But really, Hakaze. Why do you think I keep doing this?”

The rock crumbles underneath the brunette, and he falls backwards. Kaoru panics and runs to the edge of the cliff, attempting to locate the boy but his vision fails.

_God, please have mercy on me._

His throat is dry once again, and his eyes are blurry. With no thought, Kaoru leaps into the abyss.

Not again, not again, not again, not again, not again, not again—

The ocean roars as he goes deeper into the ocean. His legs and arms kick in panic, but they slowly grow weaker. His mind refuses to shut down, but he knows already. He couldn’t find anyone.

—

Kaoru wakes up again. He is at the same spot once again. He begins to randomly cough, as if there is something stuck in his throat.

Why? Why? Just why?

He doesn’t want to do this anymore. He can’t let Chiaki go again. Please. He wants this to end already.

Tears slowly build up, and his sobs break the silence of his bedroom.

“Chiaki, I’m so sorry.”

—

The two of them are at the cafe where they agreed to meet up. A small crowd slips through while a few cars go through the streets.

Chiaki happily orders his usual iced chocolate, and Kaoru goes with his usual iced coffee. They banter about who pays, but Kaoru eventually gives in and allows Chiaki to pay for their drinks.

“You’re so stubborn, Moricchi.”

“I’m not at all!”

It’s time, isn’t it?

They continue to walk alongside the crowds, stopping and waving at the people who are able to recognize who they are. The sunlight continues to gaze at them. 

They eventually take a small halt at a corner where Kaoru slowly finds Chiaki’s fingers with his own. Chiaki looks at him in surprise, and Kaoru returns with a smile.

“Moricchi, I love you. Did you know that?”

“You love me? Like, _love love_ me?”

“Yeah, what else?”

“Gosh, Hakaze! This is so sudden. I don’t know what to say—”

“Then let me kiss you. Would that work?”

“A kiss? Are you sure? I mean, I don’t remember you kissing guys, but I don’t mind—”

Kaoru cuts him off and connects their lips together. Chiaki blinks in surprise, but he shares the same interest. Kaoru eventually breaks their kiss and gives another on Chiaki’s cheek.

“I love you—a lot.”

“Ah, I… love you too.”

Kaoru slips his hand away from Chiaki and runs into the streets. Chiaki reacts in shock and tries to grab Kaoru, but Kaoru is too quick for his grasp.

The loud screech of a truck and a shattering scream of a woman is all that Kaoru can hear. His body collapses from the impact, and blood paints him.

He can barely hear the panicked screams and choked sobs of his future lover. _He is happy to risk everything for Chiaki._

—

Chiaki opens his eyes in panic, and his body immediately quivers. He failed everything. This isn’t supposed to happen.

“ _Kaoru_ … Why did you do that?”

He failed the one person that he wanted to save, the one person who believed in everything he had — he failed it miserably.

His failure never ends. It is an endless loop. Each and every day, he fails something or someone who trusted in him. He could never be happy with himself.

Chiaki looks at the clock on his wall. The big hour lands on 12.

It is happening again.

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first time uploading on here!! i haven't written a drabble in a long time either T__T i'm so sorry if there are mistakes here!! got inspired by the fanmade knights mv of lost time memory, so here we are!
> 
> there's barely any angst fics for chiakao, so i am here to provide you some. you will see more of me!
> 
> thank you so much for reading!


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